After a 13-year career in fundraising, Norisha Kirts Glover realized she was ready for a career change, wanting to take more ownership over her professional destiny. She had no idea that would eventually mean owning her own construction company.
At the time, Glover was interested in three things: managing people, projects and budgets. So when a friend suggested pursuing construction, she decided to take a risk, seeing various growth opportunities in the field.
She knows firsthand how tough making that leap can be. In Business Report’s January cover story, “24 Leadership Insights for 2024,” she shares her recommendations for others considering the same move.
Before anything else, she says, want-to-be entrepreneurs should consider what season of life they’re in. If you’re the breadwinner for your family, financial obligations for which your current job provides may mandate that you put off your venture a little while longer.
Work-life balance should be a factor as well, Glover emphasizes.
“It is very easy for people to glamorize being an entrepreneur and saying like, ‘Oh, I get to make my own work schedule,’” she notes. “You do get to make your own work schedule. But what you will find is that because you’re a business owner, your own work schedule will mean that you’re working practically 24 hours a day. … For the short term, there won’t be a work-life balance.”
Read more recommendations from Glover, and get insights from 23 other business and community leaders on a variety of topics in the cover story.
